IGI vs GIA
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IGI Diamond Certification
The IGI started out as the blue color workhorse of the diamond business. They were, and still are, the most popular gem lab for the major jewelry chains in the US and Canada (Kay, Zales, etc.) They are like a factory. They work fast, and they work cheap.
Lately, though, they have been trying to position themselves as a legitimate contender against the other labs and not just a certificate factory for the major chains. While they haven’t succeeded so much in America, they have actually gained quite impressive market share in Europe and the Middle East. I used to travel to sell diamonds in Dubai, and the two major certificates sold in that market are HRD and IGI.
The bottom line with IGI in comparison to GIA is that they are consistently looser in color, and partially looser in clarity. What I mean by this is that specifically in the “SI3″ range, they generally upgrade to an SI2. Diamonds used for “SI2″ programs at the major chains would almost never pass a GIA “SI2.” I know this particularly well, as throughout my professional career, I must have personally selected thousands of diamonds to be sold as IGI SI2s at the major jewelry store chains in the US and UK. These programs (usually the middle-ground price point offering great value as it’s the cheapest of the eye-clean grades) all have a minimum of SI2 clarity. For these programs, we would always strive to find diamonds that were in that “SI3″ sweet spot — diamonds that would not receive an “SI2″ from GIA, but were too nice to sell as an “I1.”
If you have any questions, please post them in the comments below. I will usually respond within 24 hours.
Hi Ira,
I have heard that IGI does appraisals, while GIA does not. How recognized are these appraisals, particularly for fancy colored stones (given the wide pricing range that fancy colored stones get)?
No “appraisal” is recognized as a legitimate appraisal of value. They’re only for showing your insurance company. There’s no use to meaning to them outside of that.
Ok. Thanks, Mike.
Hi there,
We’ve just bought an IGI diamond to put in the wife’s engagement ring, after she lost hers. I think we got a good deal by local market prices looking in Hatton Garden in London (the wife likes the diamond and we’re buying direct from a jeweler who mainly deals with shops). The total charge is just under two thousand pounds (GBP), which includes the labour to have it set in her original ring (14 carat gold but sentimental value).
Report City + Date ANTWERP July 5 2011
Description Natural Diamond
Shape And Cut Round Brilliant
Carat Weight 0.65 Carat
Color Grade I
Clarity Grade VS 2
Cut Grade Excellent
Polish Excellent
Symmetry Excellent
Measurements 5.52 – 5.55 x 3.39 mm
Table 59.5%
Crown Height – Angle 14.5% – 35.5°
Pavilion Depth – Angle 42.5% – 40.3°
Girdle Thickness Slightly Thick
Culet Medium
Fluorescence None
Reasonable deal?
-simon
Hi Simon. I can’t really analyze it without knowing your tax situation.
Hi – I too am freaking out. I put money down on a beautiful diamond for my girlfriend. It is IGI and now I dont know what to do. Here are the specs:
Round Brill Cut
6.54 – 6.67 x 4.24
1.21 cts
Polish: VG
Symmetry: G
Clarity: VS(1)
Color: Near Colorless (I)
Flouresence: None
Like the man how posted above, “This is amplifying the insecurity I feel as a man with no real sense of knowledge or control over the situation, while a lot of his money is at stake.”
For the diamond alone, I am paying $7,000.00
The price that first stated was 10,000, then I got them down to 8,200 and I continued to get them down to 7,000.00. Am I getting ripped off? Obviously the original price was inflated, making room to deal. PLEASE HELP!
Depends on the cut. But if it’s as I suspect it is, then the price is nothing special. It’s probably the equivalent of a GIA J VS2. Here’s a J VS1 with a cut that I imagine is similar to your stone:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-VS1-Premium-Cut-Round-Diamond-1437592.asp
So if it were a J VS2, it would be even cheaper.
But either way, I think you’d be much better off spending your money this way:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/J-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1447054.asp
Here, you get a perfectly cut stone, it’s larger, it’s eye clean, and it’s still cheaper.
Hello Mike and Ira,
I just ran into your site, am freaking out, and hope you can assist.
I am in Italy and am about to buy an engagement ring. One of my best friends is from Milan and his sister has been in the jewelry business her whole life, so he said she could help me even though she doesn’t work with diamonds.
His sister and I met with her supplier. He found me a diamond around my priorities- the best cut for sparkle and brilliance, good color to the eye, clear to the eye, and the right size for my girl. He found .70, E, VS2, Excellent, Excellent, Excellent diamond. I trusted this arrangement and friend of a friend situation. I paid a small deposit via card, chose the band, and the stone arrives tomorrow for my inspection. Then I found your site, asked which certification it has, and he said IGI, then said they got a discount on it from €5700 to €5100, and I get a 12% tax refund from that for not being an EU citizen. That price includes 18K white gold band and thats a €4,488 price out the door. He is extremely nice.
Then I see your site and read IGI is no good, as well as seemingly lower prices at blue nile, etc. This is amplifying the insecurity I feel as a man with no real sense of knowledge or control over the situation, while a lot of his money is at stake.
I am guessing because I didn’t see GIA or AGS on any of the other diamonds he showed me, that American certifications are not common here in Italy.
How can I ensure I’m getting a good diamond for the money I’m spending in my situation? How can I ensure it has the most brilliance (fire/sparkle/light color)? How can I ensure I’m not getting ripped off? I’m no diamond expert but I’d hate to have been made a fool, so what would I look for when I see the diamond?
I have to give the thumbs up or down tomorrow morning. I resent that showing my love has become so stressful and anxious, and am hoping you can assist in some way.
Thank you.
Hi John. You could get this stone:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS2-Premium-Cut-Round-Diamond-1390229.asp
Add a $1000 for a mid to low range setting, and you’ve got $4930 USD. Shipped to Italy, including 682 EUR of VAT, it’ll cost you 4468 EUR net of all charges. If you can then get the 12% tax refund on top of that, it’s a much better deal.
But that’s comparing apples to oranges, because your IGI E VS2 is probably a GIA F VS2 or SI1. The same setup with a 0.73 F VS2 will cost you $4610 USD. Shipped to Italy, it’ll be 4177 EUR (including VAT). So that would be all the more better of a deal. If you drop to SI1 (which I recommend), it gets even better.
Thank you for the quick response Mike! I met with the jeweler who was actually the friend of my friend’s sister, rather than his partner who had stood in while he was out. The friend was much more confidence-inspiring and genuine than his stand-in.
I saw the stone and it was incredible, really blew away all the others in there. I took my time and was honest with the guy about IGI grading, and he said they simply never saw any of the American grades on the diamonds they got. So we compared it to several Very Good diamonds, and there was a significant difference in the life of the diamond. It catches your eye from the other side of the room! The light really dances, lots of fire, it’s totally hypnotizing. It has all the characteristics you hope for in a well cut diamond. The color is also definitely, and consistently, a grade better than the three F stones I compared it to plus the master set, which convinced me that this one is a true “E.” If the VS2 grade from IGI is a bit generous, and it’s really an SL1, I’m not as concerned.
With your response I learned that while €4,480 out the door wasn’t as good as an online retailer, it was in the ballpark so I wasn’t getting ripped off. I could have gotten a cheaper price through your link (thanks!) but you also helped relieve my concern of being taken advantage of buying it here in Milan through a friend.
Thanks!
Sounds good. Glad you found something you’re happy with!
Almost forgot!
Report City + Date ANTWERP January 12 2012
Description Natural Diamond
Shape And Cut Round Brilliant
Carat Weight 0.70 Carat
Color Grade E
Clarity Grade VS 2
Cut Grade Excellent
Polish Excellent
Symmetry Excellent
Measurements 5.66 – 5.69 x 3.57 mm
Table 57%
Crown Height – Angle 16.5% – 37.5°
Pavilion Depth – Angle 43.5% – 41°
Girdle Thickness Medium (Faceted)
Culet Pointed
Fluorescence None
Hi Ira,
I just got to choose a diamond ring (white gold setting) yesterday and I am wondering if I made the right choice for the price I paid (about US$ 1,698) ….I only came across your site after getting the ring and now I am so worried I made the wrong choice! The ring comes with an IGI cert. Please advise, thanks!
Natural Diamond
Shape & cut: round brilliant
Carat weight: 0.58carat
Colour: H
Clarity: VS2 / good
Polish: good
Symmetry: good
Measurements: 5.24 – 5.30 x 3.31mm
Table: 63.5%
Crownheight – angle: 15% – 39.5.
Pavillion depth – angle: 44% – 41.3.
Girdle thickness: medium to thick
Cutlet: medium
Total depth: 62,7%
Fluorescence: none
Hi Carol. It’s probably the equivalent of an I SI1 or so. So if you look at this to compare:
http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/I-SI1-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1447291.asp
You’ll see you got a decent deal. The only issue is the cut on your stone isn’t so great. The table is quite large.
Hi, we just upgraded my diamond setting to a 1.5 CT (S). my concern is now after the purchase, seeing that it was IGI certified not GIA. The diamond was priced for $6,600. Please tell me your thoughts.
Shape/cut: square mod brill. Cut
Measurement: 6.48×6.17×4.74MM
Weight: 1.51CT(S)
Color: Colorless (F)
Clarity: I (I)
Polish/symmetry: Good/good
I really appreciate you taking the time to answer all of our questions, diamonds are an investment and we all just want to be sure that we are getting what we paid for
Btw, this was a loose diamond purchase
Hi Natalie. The price seems right for what you got. I hope it’s a nice I1 and it’s not eye visible!
Whew great thanks! And no it is not visible to the eye… Under magnification, you can see one solid dark inclusion. Other than that it’s really gorgeous. I was told that irbid rare to find such a clear I1 for this price, that most have web or broken like pattern inclusions. This was considered to be a very good I1.